March 25, 2004

ON MY BOOKSHELF

“Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids” —By Jim Marrs

Jacques Bataille , 23, visionary

After gutting out four years in the political science program at the University of Southern California, topped with another six months on Capitol Hill, former Leland High School student and baseball/football standout Jacques Bataille (Class of '99) has returned home to Almaden both physically and mentally.

“I want to pursue a career in sports management,” said Bataille. “I'm still interested in politics, in making a difference as a law-maker. But I'm a baseball guy at heart. I always have been.”

It's been a tough choice for Bataille, deciding whether to continue pursuing a big-time political career or “settling” for a career in the business of athletics.

“I moved to Washington, D.C. after graduation [at U.S.C.], hoping to catch on as a legislative assistant for a state rep or senator,” said Bataille. “I gave myself six months to get what I wanted or else I'd move back.”

Just around the six-month mark, the ball began to roll, but Bataille felt that it was time to come home. He'd given it his best shot.

“I wanted to see what it was like,” said Bataille. “So I went and I saw and I made a decision to leave.”

However, before the decision to up and move out to Washington, a book especially piqued Bataille's interests. For Bataille, Jim Marrs' “Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History That Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons, and the Great Pyramids,” exposed a new line of thought dealing with American politics and reality in general.

Marrs' “Rule by Secrecy” contests that many of the world's most significant political incidences were a result of conspiracies headed by several groups including the Council on Foreign Relations, the international Trilateral Commission and the Bilderberg group (that holds annual closed-door conferences around the globe). Marrs suggests that the aim of these factions is to organize one-world government and centralized social control.

In addition, Marrs touches on the present-day effects of old money and what that means to the future. Dynasties such as the Morgans, Rothchilds, and Rockefellers suffer Marrs' scrutiny as a lesson to all.

“I highly recommend this book,” said Bataille. “I admit I've always been a big conspiracy theory buff, but this book answered a lot of questions for me in terms of where money is coming from. [Marrs] breaks down wars, politics, and basically all government action. It doesn't matter if you like or dislike what you hear. Reading this book will at least give you a background so you can make educated decisions in the future.” —By Justin Petersen